A Message Goodbye
by HeartPirateSlave
Summary: Portgas D. Rouge was growing restless in her job and in her town. Her heart longed for a chance to go out to sea and have an adventure that was calling out to her. Now she finds herself given the chance of a lifetime that she never imagined she would have. What adventures await Rouge and Gol D. Roger? A story of their life together before they part ways and are cruelly torn apart.
1. Chapter 1

Roger pushed up the brim of his captain's hat before pushing open the swinging doors that lead into the small tavern.

The noise from inside greeted him as there was a heavy smell of smoke floating through the air. He stepped inside and looked around. It wasn't a huge tavern, but a moderate size and was crowded with the evening rush for dinner. It was one of the few times that he had found himself in a quaint place where his appearance didn't automatically lead to a bunch of people charging at him for an attempt to get his bounty.

Roger could hardly remember a time when people weren't trying to kill him for one reason or another. Roger loved being a pirate but there was an occasion where he just wanted to enjoy some time with his crew and by himself. Roger made his way towards an empty table in the corner of the tavern and dropped into the chair, his eyes scanning around the room as he looked at all the different people that had gathered here.

Half an hour ago the Oro Jackson had docked at the small harbor, preparing to get supplies that they needed before they set back to sail for the Grandline. His first mate and right hand man had assured him that he would get the crew and supplies together and that Roger should go and enjoy himself. Roger knew his crew would eventually join him, but they would probably wait until the slower time, when the tavern wasn't so crowded.

A slim figured girl was walking around the tavern, carrying a tray of drinks and food in her hands. She had long strawberry-blonde hair that went down to the middle of her back. She wore a long, short sleeved blue dress. Roger tried to peer through the crowd so that he could get a better look at the woman.

"What do you want?" Another waitress approached him, blocking his line of sight as she gave him a warm smile and pushed a strand of red hair out of her face. She was holding her tray close against her chest.

The question surprised him at first. He had been so focused on trying to get a good look at the woman across the bar that he hadn't noticed that the other waitress had approached until she moved into his line of vision.

"A mug of your best ale."

She smiled and nodded. "Anything else?"

"Do you have a menu?" Roger asked as he glanced over towards the bar, he didn't see a list of food offered and he couldn't ignore the fact that he was hungry. Of course if you asked anyone in his crew he was always hungry.

The red haired waitress nodded, heading to the bar and returning quickly with a frosted mug of ale and a small menu for him to look over.

"Whose that young woman over there?" Roger asked as he looked down at the menu to see what they offered.

The waitress glanced over her shoulder. "That's Rouge," she said as she wrote down his food order when he gave it.

Roger smiled at that name. It had been a long time since he had seen such a beautiful woman, even if it was from a distance. "Do you think you could convince her to come over here and chat me up for a little bit?"

The waitress looked at him for a long moment. "I'll see if she's got a moment to spare to talk to you," she said with a shrug.

Roger leaned back in the chair. _Been awhile since I've flirted, I'm a bit out of practice_ he thought to himself with a chuckle.

The ocean was a harsh mistress, but she could not offer the same embrace that a woman could offer and it had been a long time since he had felt that. Even if nothing came from it, he would at least enjoy having a nice conversation with her.

888

"Two mug's of ale."

Rouge stood at the bar and gave her order to the bartender with a smile as she leaned on the bar a little. She was dressed comfortably, which made working in a tavern much easier, especially considering that most of the people that came here were people she had known from the town and got along well with.

Rouge slipped her feet out of her sandal's and enjoyed the feel of the cool wooden floor against her skin. She hoped that the people moving around the bar didn't step on her bare feet, especially the men that were sitting at the bar laughing and drinking. Most of them were wearing heavy boots for working at the dock.

Rouge wished that she could ease the restlessness that had been gripping her heart for the past few months. Things in the town have grown slow and boring for her, everything had become so routine that she barely noticed anything anymore. The town rarely changed and with the exception of an occasional merchant ship docking, nothing interesting ever happened here and she longed for something to happen.

It was Friday and everyone at the docks had been paid and immediately came to the tavern to blow their money on good ale and food, enjoying the company of the women that worked there and each other.

The bartender pushed the two frosted mugs of ale towards her with a smile and a nod as she picked them up and put them onto the tray. She let out a soft sigh as she slipped her feet back into her sandal's and carefully picked up her tray and turned to deliver the order to the table when she almost knocked into Dannie.

"Rouge, you are a lucky woman," the other waitress said with a laugh as she placed her metal tray down on the bar.

"How am I a 'lucky woman'? I'm just trying to get my order's to their destination without spilling them." Rouge smiled as she shifted the tray and looked at her friend, interested in what Dannie could mean.

"There's been a man asking about you," Dannie replied as she reached behind the bar and picked up a cigarette that had been hiding in a ash tray beneath the bar. She took a long drag and blew out the smoke with a smile, giving Rouge a sidelong glance as she seemed to think Rouge had this entire thing planned.

"A man asking for me?" Rouge looked around, hoping that she could figure out who Dannie was talking about, waving the smoke from Dannie's cigarette out of her face.

"Yeah, a really handsome man at that. If you're not interested in him, I can give it a go, if you don't mind." Dannie grinned and winked at her friend.

"Did he know my name?"

"No, but I told him," Dannie said as she took another drag of her cigarette and then reached back over the counter and stubbed it out. "He clearly isn't from here, I'm willing to bet he must have come from the ship that docked," Dannie watched Rouge scanning the crowd. "Granted all I know is what I've heard from some of the dock workers that came in a little while ago, saying a huge pirate ship as pulled into port." Dannie leaned in and whispered quietly, as if she was afraid other were listening to their conversation.

"Did he tell you what he wanted?" Rouge asked Dannie as she was ignoring her friends obvious hints to try and get a reaction out of Rouge. The thought of some strange man, a pirate at that, asking for her had certainly raised her own curiosity. "Was he alone or did he come in with the rest of his crew from this 'huge' pirate ship?"

"Right now he's drinking alone," Dannie said as she watched Rouge, her smile slowly fading away to a frown. "But if he's really part of that pirate ship he probably won't be alone much longer, and I don't think the tavern is big enough to hold all the regulars and a pirate crew at the same time. Especially if they might be bringing trouble."

"Can you point him out to me?"

Dannie pointed and Rouge pulled her friend's hand down.

"Don't point!" Rouge said. "I don't want him to see that I'm asking about him, just tell me where to look."

"By the back wall near the exit actually, you can't miss him. He's the big guy with the black mustache that sticks out." Dannie looked at Rouge for a long moment, leaning in closer to her friend and gripping her arm. "You going to talk to him?"

"A quick chat wouldn't hurt."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"If anything happens I can take care of myself."

Rouge picked up her tray again and made her way through the crowd to deliver her customers order. She eased through the crowd and the tables, occasionally managing to glance over her shoulder to the direction that Dannie said the man was sitting in. Rouge was certain a pirate wouldn't be hard to spot.

She finally reached her customers table, two older gentleman that often visited the tavern since their wives died. She gave them a smile and stayed and had a small conversation with them. Rouge knew everyone in town and had a good relationship with most people. She was a friendly and kind person and enjoyed taking the time to make her customers feel welcomed, it's what brought them back every night and that was just the kind of person she was. It also helped to get her some pretty decent tips as well.

When she turned to head back to the bar she finally saw him.

The only thing that she could see under his red pirate hat was his long, black mustache that stuck out at the sides. He had a big smile on his face and a powerful jaw line that accentuated his handsome face. He had long black hair that fell over his collar and was messy and his red coat sat nicely on powerfully broad shoulders.

Everything about him said pirate, and it made him stand out in the crowd. He had on a blue shirt with a green sash tied around his waist. There was a white cravat around his neck and dark blue pants that fit his long legs that were stretched out in front of him. He wore black boots with golden buckles on them. His legs were currently crossed on top of each other as he had struck up a conversation with a dock worker sitting at the table next to him.

The man had just finished his mug of ale, and was laughing at something funny. Even with all the people in the tavern the man stood out against them all. He had a presence about him that commanded anyone's attention.

Rouge tried to place where she knew he from, the man's face was eerily familiar as she was certain she had seen it before. If he was a pirate she was certain he had a wanted poster, but the name was escaping her.

The man pushed his hat back slightly and he turned his head, his eyes locking with Rouge's and his smile was broad and contagious. He looked like a man who was just trying to enjoy the company of those around him. The bridge of his nose was long and narrow, but it was his eyes that held her in place, they were dark and piercing.

She suddenly felt nervous and stepped back.

"ROUGE!" came a shout from a man in the kitchen. He was Dave, her boss and owner of the tavern. "Why are you just standing there?"

Rouge took a deep breath, his voice had caused a chill to go through her body. Out of all the people in the town, he was the one person she didn't like.

Dave was now standing beside her. He was heavyset and domineering, his cologne overpowered the smell of cigarette smoke and the combination of the two almost made Rouge feel nauseous as he stood over her. Rouge could see by how his bulldog jaw stuck out that Dave was looking for a reason to get into a fight. "We are in the middle of the dinner rush and you're just standing in the middle of the room like you don't have a clue what you're doing," he growled at her as he leaned down a little closer. "If you can't do the job, get out and go stand on a corner."

"I'll get back to work Dave," Rouge said as she moved away from him in hopes of putting enough distance between them that she could get away from his powerful scent. She knew he would look for any reason to fire her and if she didn't need the money the job paid she would have left a long time ago. She had tried to find other work in town but everyone else was not hiring or it was a small family business and didn't hire outside the family.

"She was looking for me. I asked to talk to Rouge and she didn't know where I was sitting since I asked the other waitress to find me." The man had approached, he was now holding his hat in his hand.

"Who are you?" Dave demanded. "I think you should head on back to your little ship and leave my girls alone so they can work."

"My ship is far from little," the man replied with a grin, remaining calm in the situation as his eyes stared down at Dave. "I just want a few moments with the young lady, and the business my men will bring in will make her time worth it," the man promised Dave.

Dave looked at the man and then glanced at Rouge and leaned in, grabbing her arm and whispering in her ear. "Give him anything he wants Rouge." He said with a sick grin before turning to return to the kitchen.

Rouge rubbed her arm where Dave had grabbed her, his touch made a chill run down her body and she felt sick. "Is there any reason you had to humiliate me by buying my time like that? I'm not a lady of the night that you can wave money around and get my attention."

"I didn't mean to offend you," the man said as he rubbed the back of his head and gave her an apologetic smile. "I just figured that was the only thing that man would understand and you looked like you were being bothered by him."

"I do owe you that," Rouge admitted.

"You look so out of place here."

Rouge looked at him confused, raising her eyebrow as she held her tray against her chest as she was confused by his comment.

"Will you sit with me?" He asked as he gestured back to the table where he had been sitting at. "Standing in the middle of the room just seems a little strange."

"What is your name?" Rouge asked, having been spending that entire time trying to put a name to the face. She knew she had seen him somewhere before but now it was really beginning to bother her that she couldn't figure out who he was. A man that commanded a presence like he did had to be pretty important, and she knew that if she could just get the name it would all click where she had seen his picture before.

"Oh? You don't know who I am?" The man looked around the tavern at that moment, as if he was trying to spot something that could help answer the simple question. "I guess I could lie, but there really isn't a point and I'm not very good at it anyway. I am Gol D. Roger, and this has to be the first tavern I've been in that didn't have wanted posters from the Marines plastered all over the wall. I can't deny it's a nice change to be somewhere that people don't know who I am at first sight, a nice change." Roger chuckled lightly.

Rouge was shocked as the realization of his name and how famous a man he was hit her at once. This man was more than just some simple pirate captain, he was the first man to don the name of Pirate King.

Rouge swallowed as she sat down across from him, sitting down her metallic tray on the table as she tried to figure out a reason why the Pirate King would want to talk to her. She was having a conversation with the most wanted man from the Marines. This would certainly get her in trouble too. "Why do you want to talk to me?" she finally asked.

Roger sat down across from her and leaned back in the chair and gave her a large, and charming grin. "It has been a long time since I've had a conversation with a beautiful, and wonderful woman like yourself. So I can't deny that some of my reasoning is a bit selfish, the ship can be kind of lonely on long trips." Roger leaned forward and held the mug in his hand, his fingers tapping against the empty glass as he spoke to her. "I was just hoping to have a nice conversation about this town and the area around it, maybe you could recommend a nice little place where I might want to stay if I didn't want to sleep on the ship. Or maybe where I can pick up some supplies for myself, maybe a new outfit or some boots?"

"You want me to tell you where the tailor is?"

Roger played with the empty mug absentmindedly. "Do you happen to be married, or have any kids?"

"That's a random question."

"I was just wondering if I was wasting my time."

"Would you stop talking to me if I was?"

"Probably not, but I would change how and what I would like to happen if you were married." he admitted.

"What you would 'like to happen'?" Rouge repeated and shook her head as she rolled her eyes slightly. "I'm not fond of this place, do you think if I had someone that I would be working in this tavern? I would probably be at home taking care of the house and children if that were the case, don't you think?"

Roger looked up at her, his eyes holding hers as she could feel a thin thread of fear spreading through her body.

"You seem like the kind of woman who would do whatever she wanted, regardless if she was married or not."

"I'm not married," Rouge replied as she reached up and fiddled with the flower that was tucked behind her ear. The flower helped keep her long hair out of her eyes and she felt the need to fiddle with something while he was staring at her. She had never so out of place by admitting that she wasn't married.

"No one good enough for you?"

"No," she replied simply. "And I haven't really been looking, it wasn't something that crossed my mind as being important."

Roger smiled as he slid the mug between his hands and he couldn't help but chuckle a little at her replies and noticed Rouge was getting ready to leave. "Do you think you could spare a few more minutes with me, maybe you would be interested in having a meal with me when you get off of work, or the next time your off?"

Was he asking her out on a date?

Rouge blinked and looked at him, her thoughts swirling around in her head as she found herself getting lost in his eyes. Her entire life on the island she had seen other men of the sea coming and going and none of them had ever stuck out in her mind before. She had listened to their many stories of the ocean and she had begun dreaming of them as a young girl and had always thought of someone coming to sweep her off her feet and take her on grand adventures. Now here she was talking to a man who called the ocean his home, not just any man but the most wanted man in the world. The things he had done in the world had only been whispered on the lips of other sailors, of the towns he had razed and the money he had pillaged from countless ships. This was the closes she had ever been to having a chance of leaving South Blue and exploring the world.

Rouge had listened to the stories from the sailors that had come to the tavern, but never had she thought that the Pirate King would ever bother coming to Baterilla, it was just so small and out of the way that the only other ships that ever came into port were trade ships, and even they weren't very big. Her family had called that town her home for many years, but in truth Rouge had no one left here to keep her here. Her mother lay in the grave and her father had left a long time ago, telling her the call of the ocean had been too strong to ignore. It would be a lie if Rouge had never said she didn't feel the call at time's as well, but she had never had the opportunity to leave the island before, but now it came in the form of a powerful, and wild looking man.

Now she wasn't completely sure what this man would say or do, but she didn't want to walk away without even taking a chance that she might never get again. It would be foolish to ignore this opportunity.

"Rouge!" Dave's voice pierced her thoughts as he was approaching from the kitchen again. "Get back to work, you've had a long enough break!"

Rouge pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked at the pirate. "I have to get back to work, but thank you for the break." Rouge stood up as she picked up her metal tray from the table and gave him a gentle smile. "If you are still around when my shift is over I can talk to you again, without someone breathing down my neck. So if you really want to carry on this conversation, just give me some time alright?"

"Stop talking and get to work!" Dave shouted, his eyes narrowing and she felt like his gaze was impaling her.

"I'm going!" Rouge snapped at him.

"You really want to talk to me Rouge?" Roger asked with a grin, his voice didn't rise but it still had a power that held Rouge in place. He still had a smile on his face and he completely ignored Dave's presence.

Rouge turned and looked at the tall, powerfully built man. Even sitting down she could tell he was a man who could tower over her.

"Rouge, I told you to get back to work!"

Rouge whirled around, finally loosing her patience with the man, which normally was a very difficult thing to happen, as she was normally a calm person. "Will you stop pestering me?!"

"Drop that tone with me, woman." Dave was on top of her faster than she could register what he was doing, pressing a nicotine stained finger into her chest, putting as much pressure as he could to try and push her back.

Rouge slapped his hand away. Dave's face switched to rage and she quickly realized that she had made a terrible mistake as Dave raised his hand to strike her. Rouge raised her hands to shield herself from his blow.

Rouge felt a little foolish after she raised her arms, Dave would be a fool to hit her in front of so many people, he would prefer to do that once they were closed.

She felt someone move past her and Roger put a hand on Dave's shoulder and yanked him back from her. "You're not going to hit her," his deep voice said with a tint of anger. Dave whirled around to face him.

"Get out you filthy sea rat!" Dave tried to shove Roger backwards.

Rouge saw everything happen in slow motion. Dave suddenly stumbled backwards and fell with a heavy thud onto the floor.

 _He never even hit Dave,_ Rouge thought as she saw anger on Roger's face.

Rouge straightened up and hurried to the door to exit the building, she wasn't sure what the Pirate King was going to do but she didn't want to get caught in a bar fight, which usually followed after these situations. Rouge pushed open the double doors and stumbled into the cool night air. She closed her eyes and leaned on the wall next to the swinging doors. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her head as she tried to calm herself. She couldn't believe she had lost her temper and let things escalate so quickly.

Rouge knew she had lost her job, and she wasn't too upset about that. She realized that she had grown tired of working there and was looking for a reason to quit, she let her hands fall to her sides as she let her head fall back against the wall with a gentle thud. She wondered what the Pirate King had done to knock Dave down without even laying a finger on him, the man was as powerful as his legends said.

The door's swung open to her right, the voice's of the shocked people inside were still drifting into the night air as people were trying to figure out what had happened and people shouting about getting the town's doctor.

Gol D. Roger was now standing next to her.

"You okay?" His voice was filled with concern.

"I'm fine," she replied as she calmed herself. "Thank you so much for helping me out back there, I just wish it hadn't been the last job in Baterilla. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, which isn't like me." Rouge tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Roger with a small smile and gripped the fabric of her dress as she was trying to gather her thoughts about what she wanted to say to him.

Roger stood in front of her, his stance was calm but wary, as if he was prepared to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. His eyes stared long at her, the concern in them made them soft and gentle. "He was going to hit you."

"Dave wouldn't have hit me, not in front of so many people that would have retorted against him." Rouge assured him, shivering against the night air. Her dress was not really meant to endure the cool of the evening air.

Rouge pushed herself from the wall. "Thank you again, but I am going to be heading home, there's no reason for me to stay here and I don't want to head back in there for my things, Dave would be waiting for me."

"I can get them, just tell me where they are?"

"I know you could probably just make him faint again, which might I add was pretty neat. How did you manage to do that without even laying a hand on him? That was something I've never seen before." Rouge smiled and watched him, finding the tension of the past few moments melting away and she was beginning to become more interested in the things that he could do. The Pirate King was just a legend to the everyday person and here she was having a conversation with him just like he was a regular person.

The door's swung open again and Rouge turned as Roger was preparing to act against whoever was coming through.

Dannie came out and handed Rouge her purse and the coat that Rouge had brought for the evening.

"Dave is out like a light, but I am pretty sure that he isn't going to let you have your job anymore. I just made sure to grab your things, I figured that you didn't want to go back in there with all the tension." Dannie then handed Rouge her purse and touched her friend's shoulder and gave her shoulder squeeze. Her friend glanced over her shoulder back into the tavern that was beginning to settle down now. "He's going to be angry, well whatever is past angry if I might say. But I have to admit that this was pretty exciting." Dannie turned around and looked at Roger with a smile on her face and crossed her arms across her chest. "What did you do to him?"

"He wasn't worth the energy to hit," Roger replied.

Rouge looked at him, most people would say that pirates would want to fight for any reason, but this man was different. "You are not like what most people say pirates are like."

Dannie turned back to Rouge and gave her a gentle and concerned glance uncrossed her arms and spoke gently. "What are you going to do?"

Rouge shrugged her shoulders and put the jacket on, glad for the warmth it was giving her. She looked inside her purse and counted the money in there and let out a sigh, hoping she had earned more in tips but she would make it work, she always did. "I don't know, I guess I'll just wait and see, that's all I can do."

"Well if you need anything Rouge, you just need to let me know. I'm always willing to help you dear."

"I know you will," Rouge replied as she wrapped her arms around her friend and gave her a tight hug. Rouge smiled and she couldn't deny that she was feeling so much better now that she didn't have to worry about working in that horrible tavern. The only thing that made Rouge sad was that she might not be seeing Dannie again. For those moments she forgot that Roger was standing there, silently watching them.

Dannie put her hand again on Rouge's arm and Rouge reached up and gave her friend's hand a squeeze as Dannie smiled sadly. "I would love to see you finally have a sparkle back in those pretty brown eyes."

"A sparkle in my eyes?" Rouge repeated, feeling a little foolish that her friend felt that Rouge wasn't happy. True she felt that she was missing something, but she still thought that she was happy for the most part. Rouge gave her friend another hug and made it tight as she stepped back to start leaving. "I'll be fine, because I have a friend like you."

Dannie grabbed Rouge's hands again and held them tightly, reluctant to let her friend go. Rouge wondered if Dannie was afraid that she would never see her again and Rouge wondered if she sensed something that Rouge did not.

"You are going to see the world Portgas D. Rouge," Dannie smiled and gave Rouge's hands a squeeze again. "Don't stay around here any longer."

"I don't really have any money to go anywhere, but we will have to wait and see what the future holds." Rouge smiled as she wondered if everything was happening to give her no reason not to hesitate in taking a great step into her future. Dannie was a tough person, but she was a loyal friend who wanted the best for those she cared for. "You better get back before Dave wakes up."

Dannie reached into the front pocket of her apron and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handing it to Rouge. "My husband Mike was talking to a merchant whose ship he was doing some repair work. The man was complaining that he needed someone to work the front of his shop, his last employee quit to have a baby." Dannie smiled at Rouge and looked her friend up and down and nodded approvingly. "You're friendly and pretty, so you could have no trouble selling whatever the guy has in his shop."

Rouge looked down at the folded, white piece of paper. A man that was traveling on a merchant ship at least meant that she would travel to a different island. That would be at least a change of scenary and some time on the ocean.

"I better get back, I can't loose this job. Mike's still trying to get his own shipwright business going, and once we've got it going you can also come and work for us if you don't want to go work for the merchant." Dannie glanced back inside and then quickly gave Rouge a tight hug once more and whispered in her ear. "I have a good feeling about this guy, give him a chance to get to know you." She whispered with a grin. "Don't be too hard on him."

Dannie let go of Rouge and looked at Roger and gave him a big smile before turning and heading back inside.

Rouge turned around and wrapped her coat around herself tighter and began to walk down the main street.

"I should probably get away from here," she looked at Roger to see if he was going to follow her. "I better get heading home."

She continued walking away.

Roger caught up to her quickly with the long strides of his legs. He put his hands in his long, red coat's pockets.

"Is there anything that you plan on doing now? I didn't mean for you to lose your job, I just hate when a guy hits a woman." He stated simply.

Rouge wasn't sure what she should say to him, everything she had planned in her head seemed to become jumbled when she was standing there with just him. She stopped and the end of the main street and she turned to head to her home. It was just a little bit outside the town, perched on a hill that allowed her to over look the ocean. It was one of her most favorite places in the entire town, where she could think and dream.

The sun still hovered over the horizon, it wasn't going to be up much longer and the warmth it would have provided was long since gone. Rouge knew it would be a long walk home, but she didn't mind that. She was pretty certain that she wasn't going to spend a lot of this walk by herself and she didn't mind that.

Roger still remained beside her, the slight breeze lifted his dark hair off his neck and caused his coat to flutter in the breeze. She was glad he didn't leave, she wanted to see if he was anything like the rumors she had heard.

"Portgas D. Rouge," he repeated her name slowly. "The D belongs to some strong people."

Rouge had never really thought about the importance of the D in her name, she had just assumed it was a simple letter of her name.

 _The D belongs to strong people._

Rouge had never thought of herself as strong, but there was no question that someone like Roger was the very definition of strong. He perhaps knew something about the D in her name that she did not know.

 _You've always wanted to go to the ocean, you have a chance now._ Rouge's thoughts were growing more and more brazen with her dreams of the ocean that have always plagued her dream since she was a child. With a sigh she gathered her courage and turned around to completely face the Pirate King.

"Can I travel with you?"

Roger tiled his head slightly. "You know who I am, don't you? Why would you suddenly want to go traveling on the ocean with me? Aren't you afraid that I might capture you and keep you for myself?"

Rouge turned her attention to the road to ignore his question. She hadn't really thought of it before and it was such an obvious realization that she should have thought about it and wouldn't have asked him to let her join. The Pirate King was wanted by the Marines and anyone who was caught with him would certainly be executed, because if you were with the Pirate King that meant you were guilty by association. Rouge wanted to go to the ocean but she didn't know if she was willing to risk her life so easily, but then again could she ignore the thrill of the adventure and ocean that this man was promising her?

She was confused and she didn't like that feeling, before meeting this man things had been pretty simple but that also made her realize how boring her life was now that she was able to look back on it.

She remembered standing on the dock and watching her father getting on his ship and sailing away from his family. He had taken her to the docks a lot when she was younger, but she hadn't expected him to leave and had wanted to go with him. To go adventure on the ocean was something she wanted to do and she had never realized how strong it was becoming until she found the courage to ask him to let her come along.

"You can head to the dock in the morning and board my ship," Roger replied as he walked with her. His voice was quiet and thoughtful, as if he was well aware of the weight of the words he was saying to her. "You will be a pirate if you come though."

Rouge looked at him again. He was tall and broad shouldered, a handsome man there was no doubt.

And very dangerous.

Rouge realized she must have lost her common sense if she was seriously willing to agree to his terms.

Finally Rouge shrugged her shoulders and smiled. It had been a long time since she had done something reckless and her younger self would have really enjoyed having a chance to rush forward and leave everything behind. She was excited, there was no doubt about that, but she was also aware that she could be throwing her life away for just a small chance of having an adventure but you couldn't just waste your life away dreaming. That wasn't the type of life that she wanted to continue living.

"I'll be there, I give you my word."

Roger nodded. "Welcome to the Roger Pirates."

"Thank you," Rouge replied as she tucked her hair again behind her ear once more, a little annoyed that it kept getting in her face, but it didn't dampen the excitement that she was feeling about going out onto the ocean.

"Rouge, do you want me to walk you all the way home?" Roger asked as she walked ahead of him.

Rouge didn't know if she wanted him to follow her all the way home, she felt that her final night there should be private. But it was also due to the fact that being around him this long was causing her stomach to knot and the thought of him walking away made the knot even tighter in her stomach that it was making her sick. She finally nodded and waited for him to catch up, certain that with those long legs it wouldn't take him too long. It would be nice to try and get to know a little more about him before she packed up everything and went on his ship. She was being a little reckless, no argument there but that was the point of adventure, or that's what the sailors often said about going out to sea.

Roger followed her, but he was able to keep pace with her. His eyes were staring ahead, as if he was deep in thought but she would occasionally catch him glancing in her direction, and if their eyes met he would look away and stare up at the road, keeping his hands shoved in his pockets as they were walking.

Roger was a quiet and the smile that had been on his face at the bar had finally completely vanished while he was thinking.

Roger stopped at the edge of the town and looked up at the small house that was standing on top of the small hill. Roger followed where the porch faced out into the ocean and Rouge tugged on her skirt nervously. She was wondering what he was thinking about, if he was judging her home and trying to connect the house to her and making a judgment on her. Rouge wasn't sure why it bothered her so much what he thought about her.

Rouge watched Roger as he was just standing there staring. For a moment she thought that he became completely lost in his thoughts and she was wondering what he was thinking about and she didn't know if she was in the right to try and break him from his thoughts. She reached out and gently touched his shoulder.

Rouge turned her attention to her old home and found herself beginning to second guess what she was doing. The Roger Pirates were a famous and dangerous group and she wondered why she would want to do this and was becoming annoyed with herself for having doubts about her plans and this long moments of silence was adding to her nervousness and the knot in her stomach was becoming even tighter.

 _What am I doing?_ _Becoming a pirate isn't the answer to being bored._ Rouge thought as a shiver of nervousness raced through her body. She kept flipping back and forth on her dreams going against her common sense. She didn't know if this was a good idea or not but she couldn't just keep second guessing herself because that could cause her to loose her one chance.

Drawing a deep breath, Rouge decided to plan out the rest of the evening. She would head back into the house, run a hot bath and relax and pack her clothes. If she stopped second guessing herself and just do this she would be glad for it because it was her dream, and many other people didn't get a chance to go after a dream.

"I'm nervous and excited," she whispered and was even wondering if he could hear anything she said.

Roger turned his head and looked at her and the smile that had vanished from his face slowly returned and he began chuckling. The warmth of his laugh filled her body and warmed her against the chill of the air and she saw, for a brief moment, what she thought he saw. A small town with houses shoved together, people going about their daily business without a second thought to the world around them. Waking up, going to work or school, doing their errands and then coming home to go to bed and repeat the cycle all over again.

That wasn't what Rouge wanted for her life. She had begun falling into the rhythm of things the day her father left and she almost lost herself to the mundane. That wasn't something she wanted, and she knew why her mother did what she did but she wasn't her mother's daughter she was her father's daughter.

"I am glad you're letting me go," she turned back to Roger.

"I'm the captain, it's something I'm allowed to do." He smiled as he put his captain hat back onto his head. "I always like causing trouble for the whole world."

Rouge gave him a bright smile. "That is part of the rumors that people are always whispering about you." She said as she was looking him up and down, finding his personality being something comfortable to be around. "Dave had no idea who he was dealing with, he would have probably had a heart attack if he did."

"Should I go back and introduce myself to him?"

"No, it's not necessary," Rouge smiled at Roger and chuckled at the thought and she continued walking up the path that lead up the hill to her house. This would be the last time she would be making this familiar walk.

She unlocked the door when she reached it and she turned and looked back at Roger and gave him a polite nod of her head, but she was surprised to see him standing there and watching and waiting for her to enter.

It was surprising to Rouge to find that Roger was being a gentleman, that was again against the rumors of what pirates were.

Rouge stepped inside her house and closed the door behind her and leaned against it, letting out a deep breath. _There is no turning back now, I'm going to do this._ Rouge told herself. _I'm finally going to see the world._

888

Roger walked onto the deck of his ship, watching as his crew was finishing getting the supplies and putting them in the cargo hold. He looked around the ship and watched his men doing what they did best. The Roger Pirates were a family, nakama was a special type of family that you were able to chose and meant more to him than any of the family he had before. Nakama had to be there to support each other through the good times and bad, and now he was bringing in a new person to this close net family and he wasn't even completely sure why he was doing it, he had just spoke without speaking, something he was guilty of doing quite often actually.

Roger went into his cabin quarters, staring at his desk against the far wall where he would write letters at stare at maps to plan their route. Rouge was still on his mind, standing out beautifully against the cool night as he had walked her back to her house. How her face had broken into a smile when she had made him laugh. She had delicate and soft features that weren't like any woman he had ever seen before. Her strawberry-blonde hair around her face, tucked behind her ear with a pink hibiscus flower that just seemed to look natural. Rouge was a beautiful woman with a slim body and wore simple clothes but that hadn't taken away from her beauty – if anything it happened to add even more to her beauty.

Roger than found himself remembering the fear she had showed when Dave had raised his hand to strike her. A rage of anger raced through him and he clenched his fist tightly as he tried to keep himself from loosing his temper. Now that he was away from the heat of the moment Roger was certain that Dave wouldn't have hit her because it would be stupid to do that in front of people, but he had seen people do stupid decisions all the time.

He looked around his room.

Roger let out a sigh and turned around to leave, running into another man before he exited his room.

"You need something Rayleigh?" Roger asked his first mate.

"Where have you been this entire time?" Rayleigh's voice was light hearted but it was also filled with concern. Roger knew that Rayleigh took his job seriously and he greatly appreciated that type of loyalty.

"Getting another person to join our crew."

"Why are you letting another person join our crew? Don't you think we have enough men on our crew?"

Roger smiled a little and shrugged his shoulders, knowing it would agitate his first mate even more. "She wanted to join, who was I to tell her no?"

"SHE wanted to join?"Rayleigh repeated with shock in his voice. "Why do you keep doing this things without thinking?!"

"Well, I'd like to say I was thinking, but in truth I was only partially thinking. Most of it was just a spur of the moment but I can't deny that this would make things a little more interesting for us, don't you agree?"

"Oh yeah, it'll make things more interesting that's for certain, and give me one more thing to worry about." Rayleigh let out a sigh. "Captain, don't you think that, maybe, this might not be a good idea?"

"I get a feeling that she is going to be just as important to the crew as everyone else is, that much I can tell you."

Rayleigh was quiet for a moment and Roger saw he was thinking. "Where is she then? I didn't see anyone new on the ship." Rayleigh looked around the cabin as if Roger was hiding her somewhere in the room.

"She wanted to pack some clothes, so since I caused her to lose her job I figured we could wait to leave in the morning."

"How did you make her lose her job?"

"I made her boss faint."

The laugh that escaped Rayleigh's lips made Roger grin even wider. He knew his friend would be fine with his decision.

"What happened to staying 'low key' this time Roger?"

"Well I was until I thought he was going to _hit_ her. So I kind of lost my temper at that moment." Roger replied, his smile fading as he remembered that moment. "That's not the important thing now," Roger wanted to forget about that brief encounter. "She asked me if she could come with me and I told her she could. She looked like she was lost on that island, longing for a chance to get out of the small town and see the ocean." Roger remembered that feeling that had plagued him when he had been a child.

"Well, I think we might have one more room that we could make into a bedroom for her, since she will need her own place," Rayleigh said thoughtfully. "It'll be smaller but she'll have to make due with it."

"I knew you could figure out someplace for her to belong, if I had to we could split the lower cabins." Roger said thoughtfully as he tried to figure out the best way to situate a living situation for one woman on an entire ship of men. He did come to a realization that he hadn't planned that completely out before he agreed to let her join.

"I'll make Buggy and Shanks clean it out," Rayleigh said, having already planned it all out. "They need to get some more cleaning done anyway."

"Have they been fighting with each other again?"

"Yeah they have been fighting, but that's not really any different from how they normally are any other time."

"Then put them to work Rayleigh," Roger said with a chuckle as he tried to stifle a large yawn as he was growing tired. "Her name is Portgas D. Rouge, when I learned that I couldn't ignore the fact that there was another D. She also looked so sad and lonely there, I remember what that feeling was like."

"You have always had a soft spot for those who were lost and hurting, hell, it makes up half the crew," Rayleigh said with a chuckle and Roger nodded, his own face once more breaking into a wide smile.

"Put those boys to work, the room needs to be ready for tomorrow." Roger said, giving the command, knowing that his words would be carried out and by tomorrow morning there would be a room for Rouge to call her own.

Rouge's face came back to him at that moment, her delicate features, soft brown eyes that were framed by gentle arching brows and beautiful hair that seemed to go on forever as the wind would catch and blow around. That hair tempted any man to run his fingers through it. Roger had seen many beautiful girls but she held a certain fascination for him that no other woman had ever managed to hold on him.

Roger chuckled as he sat down in his chair in front of his desk. He leaned back and looked at a map that was pinned against the wall. He had drawn lines to places they had been around the Grandline and the different islands he had been to. A few of them held women he had laid down with on lonely nights, because being a pirate could often be lonely and it wasn't uncommon for them to find comfort with a woman of the night, but they hadn't interested him the same way that Rouge has interested him. He felt like he wanted to get to know her, but he wasn't sure if that she really wanted to get to know him in the same way that he wanted to get to know her, but that was something he would have to explore eventually.

Roger got up from his chair, feeling restless as he paced around his cabin as he tried to settle with his own inner feelings, which he had never been so conflicted and back and forth with before now, it was a little annoying.

The Roger Pirates were a large crew, and they had allied with women pirates before, but Rouge had never been off the island, Roger was willing to bet, but if you were going to do something you had to start somewhere, right?

Roger finally came to a conclusion, as a captain when he made a decision he couldn't second guess it, because if he did it would cause the crew to loose faith in him. He had cast the die and if anything Rouge had wanted to come as much as he wanted her to come. The reasons might be different, but they lead to the same result and he knew now that he would protect her as much as he protected any member of his crew and while she was with them they would help her find her strength to support the ship.

Roger leaned against the door frame and watched the happens of the deck as Shanks and Buggy were being marched by Rayleigh to the small storage room, moving the supplies that had been in there down below the deck. Buggy was grumbling and complaining but Shanks just seemed to be has happy as he always was.

Roger thought of Rouge again and tried to imagine what she would be like standing against the railing at the front of the ship. Rayleigh would try to find a way to put her to work, as everyone on the ship had to pull their weight or the ship wouldn't make it. Roger couldn't imagine her being the kind of person who would just stand around. She had worked in a tavern so she could help in the kitchen, which was a pretty big job given the size of the ship.

Roger pushed himself away from the door and finally took his long, red coat off. He hung it on the back of his door and closed it shut for the night. He sat down on the edge of his bed and pulled his boots off, tossing it to the side as he laid back, putting his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. He found comfort in the gentle rocking of the ship, which was the only way he was ever able to fall asleep.

With a small grin he could hear Rayleigh shouting at the boys about doing the work right, and he doubted Rayleigh would shout at Rouge. If anyone would it would probably be Cookie in the kitchen, since that was the cook's sanctuary and he liked things to be ran a certain way, which helped keep the entire crew fed and healthy.

They would set sail tomorrow and he would find the embrace of the ocean and the comfort it gave him. The ocean always helped guide his hand and whatever would happen, once they set sail, there would be no turning back for anyone.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun light basked over the deck of the ship, warming all those that were standing on it as it was preparing to set sail. Roger felt a shiver though as he looked over the railing. He was waiting for any sign of Rouge to approach the ship. It had been such a long time since Roger had spent anytime with a proper woman that he did feel a little nervous that he might end up saying or doing something wrong that might offend her. Though that was not the only thing on his mind, the dangers they would face also weighed heavily on his thoughts.

He glanced down the dock in the direction that Rouge would have to come from. Since he now knew where her house was he kept a tight lookout on it. He wasn't sure if she was going to change her mind, and he wouldn't blame her if she had second thoughts. The life of a pirate wasn't meant for everyone. It was then that Roger saw Rouge approaching from the town, carrying a small suitcase at her side.

Roger made his way towards the gangplank that had been lowered and waited for her. He reached out and took her suitcase from her, it was light and he was surprised that she had so little with her.

"Good morning Rouge," he greeted as his men pulled up the gangplank so that they could finally set sail.

Rouge nodded to him, her eyes looking around as she was taking in the sight of the entire ship now. She was wearing a soft pink dress with her pink hibiscus flower that was tucked neatly in her hair. This morning she had her long, strawberry-blonde hair pulled back into a nice, neat little braid to keep it more manageable.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Roger asked her, hoping that her being quiet wasn't going to be a sign of how she was going to be the rest of her trip on the Oro Jackson because this wouldn't work, everyone on a pirate ship had to communicate and work together.

"I ate before coming, thank you."

"Probably a good idea to give your stomach a chance to be settled." Roger said as he gestured for her to follow him. It wasn't much of a conversation starter but it was at least it got the door opened to let there be more conversations later on.

There was a shout as the Oro Jackson began to pull away from the dock, setting sail for the ocean. The ocean was calm, and with the bright sun shining down promised that the day was an excellent day for sailing.

The sound of the wind in the sails was a comforting sound to anyone who called the ocean their home. The water lapped at the hull and side of the ship, it was gentle and relaxing along with the sound of rocking of the ship. Every noise that the ship made was comforting and familiar to Roger and made him feel like there was nothing that could go wrong.

There was freedom and adventure awaiting him.

Roger pushed open the door to the room that would be Rouge's for the rest of her time on the crew. Roger wasn't sure if she would really stay with the crew, but at this point she was stuck along with them until they docked again, which wouldn't be for at least two months, since they had enough supplies for that long.

"Are you still excited about coming onto the Oro Jackson?" Roger asked.

Rouge turned to him and smiled a little bit. "I am, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that I was a little nervous," she admitted to him.

The tone of her voice encouraged him that this was probably a better idea than he had originally thought so Roger decided to continue talking to her. "Have you lived on that island your entire life? Have you ever been out of South Blue?"

"I've lived here my whole life, and no I've never been out of South Blue."

"I promise to show you a whole lot of different places."

"I can't wait to see all of the Grandline!"

Roger was glad to see that she was more open to talk to him and he found out he could hold a conversation with a woman without flirting with her.

Roger sat the suitcase down on the bed, which they had decided would be better for her than a hammock. "I'm glad to see that the boys got the room ready before you came."

"I hope I didn't inconvenience you about that, I honestly didn't think about that when I asked."

Roger wasn't bothered by it, but he was sure that Buggy probably would complain, but he wouldn't say anything in front of his captain, and once the two boys realized that the room was being made for a female crew member they would understand why the room had to be cleared out so fast and prepared. They probably thought that Rayleigh had just made up a punishment for them because they had been fighting.

Rouge looked around the room, taking everything in.

With that, Roger turned and walked back to the deck to give her some privacy to adjust to her new home. He headed towards the front of the ship so that he could see the horizon and what would be greeting them.

Roger and Rayleigh often stood there together, talking about what was going to happen or what had happened that day. Roger was grateful to have Rayleigh there to help keep everything running smoothly and kept things well organized. This allowed for Roger to plan out what they needed to do and keep his hands free unless there was a serious situation that acquired his attention. A pirate captain had to plan the islands they would visit and what they needed to do when they got there. Most of the time the captain could be free about the where's and when's, as long as they had the supplies to sustain the ship, but there were things the captain had to deal with that the crew never had to even think about. The one thing that Roger wasn't really good at managing was the money, but he let Rayleigh worry about that too.

Soon they were so far out to sea that there was no longer any land in sight and all you were greeted with was the blue of the ocean and the blue of the sky. Both seemed like they would go on forever.

"Everything is so peaceful and it looks like it could go on forever."

Roger turned around, having been caught by surprise by Rouge's voice. He didn't expect to see her so soon, he figured that she would spend time in her room unpacking and adjusting to having to live on the ocean.

"It can," Roger replied as he turned back to staring at the ocean, a smile creeping across his face as he felt himself slipping into his comfort zone again. "The peace doesn't always last though."

"Because there are enemy ships that can come from anywhere?"

"Well that, and Sea Kings are always looking for a snack, but they usually think twice about attacking such a large ship, but sometimes they try, especially if their young."

Roger glanced over at her as he watched her wrap her arms around her stomach as she leaned against the railing, her eyes staring off in the distance.

"Don't worry, a Sea King won't be attacking us, I promise."

"I'd actually like to see one," Rouge admitted.

She looked like she was certainly interested in seeing what the ocean had to offer. Roger could see the excitement that was in her face and she was already becoming comfortable with the ship and the new life she was going to live. Roger wondered if she really had the soul of a pirate inside of her because he didn't know many women who would want to give up a peaceful life and board a strangers ship. Of course that might be because she is a D, and every D was out to find adventure and cause trouble for the world.

The ship continued sailing and Roger was going about his daily routine, occasionally running into Rouge who was getting to know the rest of the crew.

"Have you met everyone?" Roger asked Rouge when he found her standing back at the front of the ship.

"I think so, I never knew so many people could live on one ship."

Roger chuckled as he looked at her, he figured that she hadn't seen many large pirate ships in her life.

"It's a pirate ship that's meant to take on the Grandline."

"Is the Grandline that dangerous?"

"It can be if you're unprepared, have you ever heard any stories of the Grandline?"

Rouge nodded her head, still watching the ocean.

Roger honestly wondered if she had heard any true stories about the Grandline or just fishermen gossip about what it could be like.

Roger wasn't normally a nosy guy, but there was something about her that made him want to press on and find out more information about her. He really wanted to know what she thought about the Grandline, and even more so, what she thought about him and the rest of the members of the crew that were now her nakama.

"Is there anything you're really good at?" Roger asked her, glancing towards her and back at the ocean so that it didn't seem like he was staring at her.

"Cooking and sewing," Rouge replied without even thinking. This was as if she thought it was the only thing she would be good for.

"I'm sure you can do more than just that."

Rouge turned and looked at him for a moment, her face thoughtful as she considered what he was saying before looking back at the ocean.

Roger thought about what Rayleigh had said last night before he turned in for the night, that women would talk your ear off and probably get on the nerves of the crew. Roger didn't think someone like Rouge could get on anyone's nerves, mostly because she wasn't really into talking or maybe that was because she was still new.

"You think you could help Cookie? He's our ships cook." Roger asked.

"I could work in the kitchen, but I thought you said I could do more than just that?"

Roger let out a deep, hearty laugh.

"I guess you've got me there!"

"Well I'm glad to see that you took that well. You seem to find amusement in a lot of simple things, don't you?"

There was never a truer statement then that, Roger mused. There was no point in getting upset over things that he couldn't control. "So is there anything that you really want to see out here on the ocean?"

"You mean other than a Sea King?" She asked with a smile as she reached down next to her. Roger noticed a small bag was sitting on the deck beside her.

Roger watched as she pulled out a small notebook and a pencil.

"Are you planning on writing to someone about where you are going?" Roger was curious about the goals she had in mind. He wanted to make this a memorable trip for her, especially if she was going to write about it.

"No, I want to keep a journal of my adventures."

"For any particular reason?"

"For my own memories," she replied as she opened to the first page but didn't write in it. "Doesn't a captain keep a log?"

"Well yes, but not until after I live the adventure."

Rouge frowned at him for a moment, like she thought he was making fun of her.

"Hear me out," he said quickly. "I like to keep a journal to look back on, that's true. But I don't want to spend all my time writing about possible adventures, I want to live them first and once everything is said and done then I will write it down, usually before I go to bed, when there's nothing else going to happen."

"Well I'm just on the ship right now."

"True, but I don't want you to miss anything that might happen."

Rouge looked at the page, fingering one of the corners as she thought about what he had said. "I don't want to miss anything either." Her voice held a tone of uncertainty, like she was no longer sure of keeping the journal.

"You never answered my question about what you want to see on the ocean?"

"I guess other islands and what they could have."

"There are so many islands out there with so many different animals, plants and things to see it helps you understand that the world is bigger than you could ever imagine, like four oceans could barely contain it all." Roger said with a grin.

"They aren't small ocean's, but I can hardly imagine what will be the first thing I will see." Rouge paused, as if she was imagining all the things that could possibly be out there that she had never even considered before. Her brown eyes were growing brighter as the spark of adventure was turning into a blazing inferno.

The look in her eyes brought Roger back to the memory of when he first came to the ocean and had dreams of everything that awaited for him. Roger's eyes looked at her, taking in all of her features. The smooth curve of her neck was gently covered by her braid. He was trying to imagine what she had looked like as a young girl who had dreams and aspirations that she had put aside because she didn't have a way to chase after them. Roger was pretty sure that she looked more beautiful now than she did then because she had that light in her eyes.

Roger turned his head back to the ocean, realizing he was staring and didn't want Rouge to notice that.

Roger had to remind himself that he was the captain and she was his nakama and neither one of them were looking to be anything more than that.

888

Rouge turned her head around, trying to ease the stiffness out of her neck. She had been wandering around the ship and had been trying to catch sight of everything that she could possibly see. At some point she had sat down on the deck and had dozed off against the side of a cabin, having been warmed by the sun and enjoying the peace of the ocean and the sky. She had found herself staring up and day dreaming about what could be awaiting her. She had started writing in her journal but that hadn't lasted long as she thought about what the Pirate King had said about wanting to live the adventure instead of just writing about it.

After their short conversation he had left to go tend to things that he needed to do and she had been left alone with her thoughts. Rouge found it hard to try and not be in the same part of the ship as he was. Roger had a quiet strength about him that seemed to come off him in waves without any effort on his own part.

It had been halfway through the trip and she realized that she hadn't really gotten to really know anyone that was on the ship and even with some of the conversation she had with Roger she hadn't really been completely open with him. She had asked him to let her on the ship and she should make a greater effort to talk to Roger. She wasn't sure how to approach the rest of Roger's crew, she only knew things about them from the rumors she had heard in the tavern, which didn't really do them all justice because a lot of the men there seemed pretty determined to make Roger and his men out to be monsters.

Roger had told her that they were all nakama now, and that had meant a family that you could choose. She had choosen them and she at least should try and get to know them if she was going to make this place her home.

Rouge had met Rayleigh, Roger's right hand man and she could see why the Pirate King relied so heavily on him. Rouge noticed that Rayleigh was a very organized man who enjoyed having everything in its place and made sure the two young boys, who she learned were the cabin boys, in line. She was amused by their arguments and Rouge could hear Roger's laughter no matter where she was on the ship, it seemed to be carried on the wind and was always warm and filled those who heard it with the urge to laugh themselves.

The conversations had been warm and welcoming with the crew and a lot of them welcomed her without a second thought.

Rouge had found it difficult not to try and pry too far into the crew, because she didn't want to seem too nosy. She learned that a few of the crew members had families on land but they couldn't ignore the call of the ocean and had journeyed with the Pirate King and left their families behind and it made her wonder what their families thought about them leaving for the ocean.

Rouge opened her notebook again, sitting down again at her spot next to the cabin. There a lot of the crew left her alone. She began writing about her first few hours on the ship and her thoughts before she had left her home. She hadn't known what would happen when she came onto the ship but it hadn't happened exactly like she had imagined. In truth, the biggest thing she had been nervous about was how the rest of the crew would think about her coming onto the ship.

The words she had been writing began to blur as she found herself drifting to memories of the past. She remembered seeing her father when he came home from being out on the ocean and how happy she had been. She would always mark the calendar to count the time until her father would return, his letters having let her know when he would return. When that time came she would race to the dock and wait for him. She wondered how many of the crew's families did the same thing when they knew the Oro Jackson was coming into port.

She closed her book and looked up, noticing Roger was standing at the front of the ship once more.

He was leaning against the railing, one of his hands was lazily hanging over the side, as if he was trying to reach into the ocean and touch the clear, cool water that was lapping against the side of the ship. Rouge noticed he looked tired and his finely shaped mouth, which was hidden under his mustache, was pulled down and his eyes were partially closed, as if he had fallen asleep while standing up. It looked like if Roger had been hypnotized by the horizon before them. His dark hair was long and flowed well past his collar and the front of his bangs were long and covered his eyes. He looked almost like he was in need of a hair cut. He wasn't wearing his red pirated hat or coat, he must of left them in his room. He had rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, revealing his powerful muscles in his arms. He was a very attractive man, she had no problem giving him that. He carried himself with a quiet strength that he used to his advantage and she remembered what had happened to David. She never wanted to oppose Roger and face down that strength.

Rouge was glad that he didn't pry into her past either, so they both had a good understanding that neither one of them was willing to spill out their past to each other, as a captain he probably wasn't interested in knowing too much more about her past than what he needed and she was fine with that.

The ocean was still smooth and calm and Rouge knew she was the farthest from home then she ever had been, but one of the other crew members had mentioned that they were still in South Blue and wouldn't be heading back to the Grandline for some time, which was fine for her because that would give her time to prepare herself for the Grandline.

The ship was quiet and she wondered where all the crewman could go because she found it could be quiet quite often but that also gave her time to just watch the sparkling waters and enjoy the peace. It was different than being on a dock or a hill and watching the ocean. It was the only thing around and that was both a comforting and an unnerving but it was also the first time she felt like she was at home.

Rouge bit her lip as she realized that until this moment she had never felt like she was at home until she had boarded that ship but there was no guarantee that this would be a home that would last because there was no promise that tomorrow would come.

"Do you like your room?" Roger asked. "I noticed you came back to this spot on the deck and was wandering if there was something wrong with your room. You didn't seem to want to spend a lot of time there."

"Why would I want to spend all my time in a room when I left my home to see the sights on the ocean?" she pointed out with a smile. She felt a little nervous as there was no going back now, she had left her home and was traveling to see new places, new faces and have her first real adventure. There was a chance she might never return to Baterilla.

Rouge found herself thinking back to the day her father had left the island for good, and that it seemed to have broken her mother's heart. She had promised her mother that she would never leave her behind and that she would take care of her. Rouge had felt trapped but she didn't want to hurt her mother anymore than her father had already hurt her mother. Rouge didn't blame her mother, it must have been hard to love a man who had the first love of the ocean. For a long time Rouge had been afraid of mentioning the ocean, even just in passing.

Rouge had mentioned once, to Danni, that she would have loved to travel on the ocean and her mother had overheard. After that she never mentioned it again and she had settled for a quiet life living with her mother and in the town.

After awhile Roger gestured for her to follow him and he lead her to the dining hall, which was one of the largest room's on the ship. There were three, long tables in the center of the room where everyone would sit and talk. At the back of the room was a large window that let you see into the kitchen and two double doors that lead into the kitchen. Rouge watched as Roger walked towards the kitchen and she could feel a pull of attraction as she watched him and knew this was a man who constantly made women's head's turn without him even trying. Rouge was pretty certain that anywhere they docked he was usually making people's heads turn.

Rouge shook her head, trying to shake out the thoughts of his attractiveness. This wasn't the time or place for that. They were living on a ship and she was positive that would just complicate the situation more than it needed to be.

"You ready to meet Cookie?" Roger asked as he pushed open the double doors that lead to the kitchen.

Rouge shrugged her shoulders and she put her notebook down on the end of one of the tables and followed him inside. It was a large, stainless steel kitchen like one she would imagine in a resturaunt.

Roger looked at her as the double door closed behind her and he gave her a small smile and gestured for her to follow him. "Cookie is always complaining about not having help," he said.

"I'd imagine so," Rouge laughed a little. "With so many men on one ship I wonder how you keep supplied for longer than a few days."

"Sometimes we don't," he replied with a laugh.

Rouge raised her eyebrow at him. She wondered if he was joking with her or was serious. She had seen him eat in the tavern before the confrontation with David. Roger had quite a few empty plates already on his table, having been eating the entire time she was working.

She followed him to the back of the kitchen where there were giant sinks, the dishes had piled up in on sink but there was no sign of the cook. "It looks like he's still cleaning up the breakfast dishes, probably doing lunch too."

"Where is he? Isn't there any other cook?" She asked Roger, looking up at him with a confused expression.

"We take turns helping him, but Cookie says none of us are good cooks and he banishes us to do the dishes." Roger smiled down at her as he put his hands in his pockets and continued strolling along the back wall.

"I have to agree with that notion. There aren't a lot of men that are very good at cooking, they often stay away from the kitchen," Rouge replied with an amused tone to her voice.

"I guess Cookie is the exception to the rule then."

Roger's voice was quiet but Rouge could hear the amused tone in his voice as he stopped in front of a tall, pantry door.

Roger was the captain of the ship and she doubted he spent a lot of time in the kitchen, but he also wasn't like any other captain she had imagined. "So...Roger, do you spend anytime helping in the kitchen?" Their eyes met and she could feel that a connection had been made and it caused a shudder to run down her spine.

Roger nodded, his smile still on his face, warm and charming.

Rouge turned her head away quickly and took a deep breath as she could hear another man's voice coming from the pantry. She found it hard to imagine that a captain of a ship would bother to help in the kitchen, but she rationalized it that he had to do it because it was a captain's job to take care of his crew.

The kitchen was the center of a ship because it was where everyone could gather and it always smelled of good food. Rouge fought the urge to try and start messing with the stove and layout of the kitchen so that she could help this man, Cookie, that Roger was talking about but first she should at least meet him and see if he wanted Rouge's help.

Roger was still standing in the doorway and finally knocked on it, lightly at first and when he got no reaction he knocked harder. Rouge gripped the hem of her dress nervously. She didn't know why she suddenly felt nervous. Maybe it was because she was meeting Cookie for the first time in his personal space.

She finally saw the figure of a man standing in the back of the pantry. He was wearing a white, short sleeved shirt and white pants. He had an apron tied around his waist and she could see the muscle's in arms. His black hair was short and peppered with gray hair. He was a bit shorter than Roger and was holding a clipboard and counting the supplies that were on the shelves. The shelves themselves were tall and reached up to the ceiling.

His skin was tanned, looking like someone who had spent their entire life outside in the warmth of the sun. His mouth was pulled down into a frown as he seemed focused on what he was doing, scribbling notes on the paper and continuing to mutter to himself but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

Roger reached over and grabbed Cookie's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake to gain the man's attention. The man turned, preparing to shout at whoever desturbed him but stopped when he noticed that it was Roger and smiled. Rouge could see there was a connection between the older man and his captain.

"Cookie I want you to meet our new nakama, Rouge." Roger said as he stepped to the side to allow the older man to see her.

Cookie looked past Roger, one of his eyes had a clear film over it and she quickly realized he was blind in the one eye. The good eye stared at her like a hawk, as if he saw more with just that one eye than anyone could see with both eyes. One of his arms was bandaged and she wasn't sure if it was an injury or a choice.

"Your name is Rouge?" He asked as the corner of his mouth pulled up into a smile as he looked at her, but his smile was the kind a kid up to something sneaky would give. He had a sparkle in his good eye. "Can you come closer? Let me get a good look at you." He had a thick accent but she couldn't figure out where he was from and it made her more curious about the man named Cookie, if that was his real name.

Rouge approached him, a gentle smile on her lips as she tried not to stare at Cookie's blind eye, which was something she hadn't really seen before. It was hard not to let her curiosity make her look like she was being rude.

Rouge and stepped past Roger, who seemed to be amused by the fact that he was introducing the two of them together.

Roger put a hand on her shoulder and she could feel the warmth of his fingers racing through her skin. Rouge shuddered as she pulled her shoulder away and cleared her throat. She hadn't thought about her reaction and had just did it. There was no reason for her to shudder because of his touch and she calmed herself by letting out a deep breath.

"Hello Cookie, it's nice to meet you," she said pleasently as she watched the older man who was still smiling that slanted smile.

"Rouge," Cookie repeated her name before offering his hand out to her and giving it a good, firm shake. "You are here to lend me a hand? That's good you certainly got to know your way around a kitchen better than these guys."

The expression that was on Cookie's face was one of relief, as if he had been hoping for a long time that he would receive help. Rouge had been prepared to meet a tough, ocean cook that was ready for a fight because he lived on a pirate ship. But Cookie didn't look like the kind of man who was really interested in fighting beyond keeping his kitchen in shape.

"I've been doing this for a long time," Cookie continued when Rouge hadn't said anything to him. "You enjoying being on here?" He put the clipboard on a hook on the back of the pantry door and stepped out into the kitchen. "Think you'll be happy here?"

 _That's a question I wasn't expecting._ Rouge thought as she crossed her arms across her chest, her fingers gripping her arm. She didn't think there was a real reason that he would be interested to know if she would be happy here. Was he expecting her to become miserable and want to leave here as soon as possible? She wondered if other people have tried to join the crew and then quickly realized their mistake and left as soon as they found land again.

Rouge figured she may as well play along and answer.

"I think so, everyone's nice and I've wanted to go to the ocean for a long time."

"Really?" Cookie asked, his blue eye was staring at her and she felt like he was looking into her very soul.

Unnerved by the constant stare of his one good eye that Rouge took a step back and knocked into Roger.

Cookie closed his eye, as if he realized he had been staring far too long and raised his hand. "I'm sorry, Rouge. I didn't mean to startle you. Since I lost my eye I can tend to stare a little harder than I mean too." He spoke with a gentle and apologetic tone, and he closed the pantry door and locked it with a key he pulled from his pocket. Rouge wonder why he was hiding the key from the crew.

"You will learn pretty fast why I have to keep the food locked up."

Rouge wasn't sure why food would be locked away from the crew but she trusted that Cookie would know better than she what would be best for the crew. She thought back to the jokes that she and Roger were having earlier, that the men of the crew did nothing but eat and she wondered if that was actually true.

The cook was probably the most important part of the ship and the crew depended on the cook to keep them strong and healthy. Rouge felt that would certainly win her over with the crew if she was keeping them fed.

Cookie seemed to understand that.

The kitchen was big and laid out to make it the most efficent in a way of getting the food prepared, cooked and then served at the window. It seemed like the crew would approach the window from the other side and would grab the finished plates and then make their way back to the tables to sit down. From the kitchen she could see all of the room, making it easier to keep an eye on the crew while they were eating.

"I'm ready," she said with a smile. "When do we begin cooking? We should get the meal started." She rolled up her sleeves and watched as Roger made his way out of the kitchen to give the two of them space.

Once Roger was gone Rouge and Cookie began working. She helped him finish washing and dishes and putting away the ones they weren't going to use. Cookie had written out a menu on a whiteboard that was propped up on a far counter so she could see what was planned for lunch and for dinner.

Both of them worked together flawlessly and at times it was like there was more than even the two of them there. Rouge was focused on the familiararity of working in a kitchen and what would be expected of her. Though she was amused that she seemed to find herself back in a tavern, just that this one floated and she would always know the customer's that would be ordering the food. It was just strange how it worked out that way.

Cookie had mentioned that Roger's food was usually double the size of the rest of the crew and at first she thought it was because he was the captain and just wanted a little more but Cookie found that funny and told her that Roger was just a big eater.

Cooking in the kitchen was a familiar comfort and she completely forgot about the closeness of another person's presents when someone came in to help. She planned on making meals that no one on the crew would ever forget. She would make sure that they realized that they had been lost without her before she joined.

888

"That was probably the best meal I've ever had since I've joined the crew, my compliments to the chef," a man named Ezzie said as he patted his stomach as he was the one whose turn it was to help clean up the kitchen. Rouge had enjoyed the conversation and laughs they had all shared while dining on lunch.

Rouge was glad that everyone seemed to enjoy the meal she had worked so hard to make for them. She had been hoping that it would go over well and everyone had kept complimenting her and Cookie for the meal.

Roger had been laughing loud and hard during the meal and had given her many compliments on her cooking and Rouge had never been happier to receive a compliment from someone. It was as if the crew hadn't had a really good meal in a long time. She was certain that wasn't the truth but figured they were just trying to make her feel more welcomed here and she was at least glad they seemed to genuinely appreciate what she was doing.

The kitchen and dining area had fallen quiet, Cookie was again back at the pantry taking a new total from lunch. Apparently he was very particular about the food supplies and was constantly keeping count of it to make sure that they didn't use too much of their supplies for one meal or that someone hadn't snuck in to steal a snack.

She had listened to him muttering to himself while he was keeping tally but she couldn't understand what he was saying because he spoke in a different language than anyone she had heard speak before. The kitchen was obviously his sanctuary and she didn't want to bother him while he was keeping count.

"The cabin boys worked hard to get your room ready," Ezzie said as he was drying a dish and he gave a smile to Rouge. "I was the one to move the bed in after we worked hard to build it since we thought a hammock wouldn't be the best for you."

Rouge reached out and took the plate from Ezzie once he dried it and put it into the cabinet where it belonged, content to just listen to him talk. She hadn't expected them to do so much for her in an attempt to make her feel welcomed. Rouge was pretty sure that any other pirate crew wouldn't go out of their way to make a new member feel welcomed but the way that Ezzie was talking it would make it seem like they would do this for anyone.

Rouge turned away from Ezzie so she could work on cleaning the counter, she could feel tears pricking at her eyes and she scolded herself silently for that. Her room wasn't anything too special, but it was hers. There was a wooden framed bed that had been pushed up against the wall and a hand made quilt, which she was pretty sure that no one here made it, they probably bought it in town when she had asked to join. She was near the bathroom, which she figured she would probably have to get up earlier and use it before the rest of the crew was up and going to use it. That might be the only thing that would be difficult about living here. On the opposite wall of the bed was a chest of drawers, which she had unpacked into. She had noticed it was a little beat up around the edges where they had struggled to get it into the room.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window in the kitchen and it made the room feel warm and she just wanted to go back onto the deck and enjoy the warmth that would bask over her. Once they had finished cleaning she entered the dining room and picked up her notebook. Someone had moved it to a small side table where they would place the keg of ale to drink while they ate. She was glad they were thoughtful about keeping it from being damaged.

Rouge's fingers traced over the leather bound cover as she was thinking about how much the crew had done for her even before she had boarded the ship. She glanced out the window in the dining area. It was opened enough that she could hear the lapping of the waves against the ship and hear the soft rocking as the ocean carried the ship along to its destination. How many times, she wondered, had she dreamed about this? Though through all those dreams she had never considered how the crew would be like, it was funny to imagine she would have been alone.

Rouge shook her head to bring her attention back to this and she turned to find Ezzie standing behind her, the dish rag from cleaning still in his hand.

"Sorry," Rouge said with a smile. "I find that I seem to be drifting in and out of day dream recently."

"Don't worry about it. Being a pirate is all about day dreaming. Sometimes you can catch Rayleigh staring off into the ocean, but he'll deny it if you catch him." Ezzie tossed the rag onto one of the tables and then put his hands in his pants pockets. Ezzie was very relaxed and Rouge noticed that was a common theme among Roger and his crew, being relaxed and calmed seemed to be a dominate trait of their personality. She also noticed that Ezzie and Roger looked a lot alike; a strong, muscular body structure, high cheekbones and a strong jaw, but where as Roger's hair was dark and flowed past his collar, Ezzie's hair was cut short and he didn't have a mustache but instead he had some stubble around his face. Rouge was surprised about how many handsome men seemed to be drawn to living on the same ship.

"Rayleigh says that you were the first crew member that the captain made arrangements for," Ezzie continued.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble, when I asked to join I kind of did it without really thinking about it." She smiled at Ezzie and found it surprisingly easy to talk to him about what she was thinking and feeling. "I probably should have thought about it a little more, but if I did I probably would have talked myself out of coming."

"It's a good thing you didn't. The crew would have been stuck waiting for Cookie to finish cooking forever. He never likes letting one of us cook, instead he keeps us on cleaning duty or setting up the plates along the table. You're the first person he let in his kitchen and actual do some real cooking in it." Ezzie was chuckling but he also looked apologetic about it, like Rouge would soon regret that she was allowed to cook.

"I'm fine with it," Rouge assured him. "It's something I'm really good at and it certainly was something that the ship needed."

"That's true, you've got a point there. We promise we'll help out a little more in the kitchen so you don't have to worry about cooking and cleaning."

"I'm sure Cookie would be grateful," Rouge replied.

"He would never admit that himself."

Rouge nodded, she had noticed that for the short time she had worked with the cook. After a few moments there was a silence that fell between them.

"I better get back to the deck," Ezzie said as he brushed nonexistent dirt off his pants as the silence was becoming awkward. He seemed to be using Rouge as a reason to stall going back to work as well. "I've got to go and man the sails. If Rayleigh catches me slacking off he'll have me mopping the deck. I'll probably see you sometime on the deck, and definitly see you again when meal time comes around."

Rouge knew that was true. "I'm sure to stop and talk to you again before the next meal time, I promise," she said. "I am glad that everyone here has been so welcoming and made me feel like I've always belonged here. I'm sure that it probably annoyed the man that had to get the room ready for me," Rouge just let the sentence fade away in the air around them.

"Rayleigh is a bit serious a lot of the time, but he's a good man that just knows that he has to be the stern voice of the ship. The last thing you want is when the captain get's involved with a situation. If the captain get's involved you're in a lot of trouble and you won't get off cleaning duty for months, depending on what you did." Ezzie tilted his head, his gray eyes were watching Rouge as he was still studying her. "The whole crew wants to get to know you, but we have the rest of our lives together to know you on our own terms." Ezzie lifted his hand in a mock salute and a smile. "I'll see you around dinner time if I don't see you around the deck."

Ezzie turned and walked out of the dining area and Rouge listened as his footsteps soon faded away and Rouge found herself bemused and warmed by his words. She had a feeling that everyone here viewed each other as family. Ezzie had a dark, quiet strength about him. It was much like Roger himself.

Rouge chuckled as she gripped her book against her chest and made her way back to the room they had made her. The impression she had of these people was that they viewed everything in good measure and valued every person. Rouge noticed that they always put people where their strengths were, and that was the best way to keep the ship in tip top shape and keep it functioning in a way that gave them their strength.

Rouge was gripping her book tightly and then loosened her grip when she realized how hard she was holding it. She looked towards the window and watched the blue sky and white, fluffy clouds that drifted lazily along the sky. She could hear the water against the ship and see the rays of the sun streaming through the window. The room was quiet and she felt like this was another place where she could find peace.

Rouge shook her head and opened her book as she sat down on the bed and picked up the pencil again.

 _This is going to be better than I thought,_ she thought to herself. She had a feeling that getting a long with everyone here would be easy and that in time she would probably find herself doing more things than just the kitchen, but even if she did just stay in the kitchen that would be alright as the crew seemed to appreciate her cooking.

Rouge heard a gentle knock on the door to her room and she thought that maybe Ezzie was coming to see how she had settled in. Rouge found herself enjoying Ezzie's company as she felt a connection with him, almost like a brother.

Two boys stood on the other side of the door. Rouge figured these must be the cabin boys that had helped make the room ready for her. She smiled at them and was happy to finally meet the boys that had helped prepare her room. The shirts they were wearing were dirty from working on the deck all day. One had blue hair and a red nose and the other had bright red hair and stood a little taller than the other one. Rouge figured they both had to be about thirteen and wondered if that was the 'average' age for a cabin boy. Ezzie had told her that the two of them always liked fighting with each other over every little thing.

The red haired one smiled and bowed to her. He seemed to be the friendliest one out of the two of them.

"It's good to finally meet you," the red haired boy grinned.

"It's nice to meet you too," Rouge smiled as she looked at the two boys that came to finally meet her formaly.

"You're not what I imagined," the other boy said, crossing his arms across his chest and looking a little annoyed. Rouge found him amusing, and it wasn't just because he reminded her of a young clown.

"My name is Shanks, and this is Buggy," the red haired boy said with a warm and friendly smile. "We were the one's that helped Rayleigh to get the room ready for your arrival." He seemed to have a good natured personality that Rouge found reminded her of Roger. "Do you like it?"

"I do like it," Rouge said with a nod of her head. "I didn't mean to cause you two boys a lot of trouble. I appreciate it and it really does make me feel like I am at home and that was something I felt like I was missing a little." Rouge watched the boys and wondered if Rayleigh treated them like they were his sons, everyone on the crew seemed to refer to him as their father.

Ezzie's voice drifted over the air, calling to the boys.

"That's Ezzie, we're probably suppose to be helping him in the dining area and the kitchen, getting it ready for dinner." Shanks looked at Rouge. "Do you think we will get to know you better later?"

Rouge nodded and smiled, though she wasn't sure why the boys wanted to know her so well. She figured they didn't spend a lot of time around women, since the ship only had men running around. Rouge wondered if the two boys were in need of a mother figure and that's why they came and sought her out.

Roger could not offer the boys a complete family, just freedom.

Rouge wondered if they each were giving the other what they lacked in their lives?

Rouge turned around and looked back at her book that laid on the bed as the thought crossed her mind. Maybe that was what was happening here. She was giving them a motherly figure to their hand chosen family and they were giving her the freedom that she had been longing for. If that was the case, then she was curious about what the future held for the Oro Jackson and her.


End file.
